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Essay contest launched to find new home for dragged dog

Riverside County officials have launched an essay contest to find a new owner for a German shepherd that was hurt when it was dragged behind a truck.

The 10-month-old white female German shepherd suffered injuries to its paws when it was dragged last week behind a truck in Riverside.

Since then, it has been recovering at the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter. Officials said the dog is expected to make a full recovery and is in good enough condition to be adopted.

Since the incident was made public, officials said the Department of Animal Services has received dozens of calls from people wanting to adopt the injured dog.

Officials announced an essay contest Monday to determine who will be its new owner.

The contest asks would-be adopters to describe their reasons for wanting to adopt the dog and the type of home they will offer.

Essays should be emailed to shelterinfo@rivcocha.org or faxed to (951) 358-7300 no later than 6 p.m. Wednesday. Department staff will choose a winner Thursday.

Authorities are still looking for the driver responsible for dragging the dog.

A witness called 911 Thursday to say they saw the dog being dragged by a rope behind a red pickup near Claycroft and Peacock lanes along the western edge of Riverside. The driver eventually got out of the truck, untied the dog and drove off.

Anyone with information about the investigation or the identity of the driver was asked to call (951) 358-7356.